


Midnight Thoughts

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Found Family, Late Night Conversations, Platonic Cuddling, Post daesang, Reminiscing, Sentimental, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:28:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27775366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Doyoung is sentimental the night after they received the award, and a talk with Donghyuck about emotions walks them down the memory lane.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Everyone
Comments: 11
Kudos: 54





	Midnight Thoughts

On a normal night, the sight of his white blanket bunched up at his legs and the soft hum of the humidifier would be enough to lull him to sleep. Not then, not when he could feel almost two dozen threads separate emotions vibrating through him, making him clutch his chest and inhale calming breaths.

SM had always been secretive with their little ‘experiments’, as the trainees had dubbed. It was a grey area work which was still on the fence on terms of humanity. Still, Doyoung had skipped the hardest tests, passing the first one the moment he auditioned to a song played in a frequency only those naturally ‘gifted’ could hear.

Gifted as in having extra activated cells, using a part of the brain that most humans couldn’t reach. He didn’t expect SM to place all gifted trainees into one group though, yet here he was. Doyoung was worried at first when he felt the first few threads latch onto him when he was a rookie.

Now he had 22 overall, a group of almost two dozen boys, and almost two dozen separate emotions vibrating from threads that pulsated as they extended from him to them. He had to take medicine most of the time alongside some other members with gifts that made life tad bit harder to deal with. But who was he to complain?

His gift allowed him to sense any trouble. It kept others sane, even when it drove him nuts every once in a while.

“Hyung?”

Doyoung exhaled slowly, looking up as no other than Donghyuck came to sit beside him. The slight breeze from his open window made the soft strands of the youngers hair lift. As Donghyuck shifted into his area, Doyoung let out a sigh of relief. The warmth of Donghyuck’s healing gift washed over him like a warm comforting sheet of cotton.

It took a moment of silence before Doyoung spoke. “The group is restless tonight. You would think that a performance like that would have them fatigued, but I guess not.”

“Who can blame them, really?” Donghyuck sighed as he looked upwards dreamily. A faint buzz of exhilaration shot through his thread and Doyoung bit his bottom lip warily, keeping in the sharp gasp that almost slipped between his lips. “We won a daesang.”

If he searched beyond the overwhelming emotions in him, he could probably find some pride within himself that they had achieved such an award. Instead, Doyoung felt a distant sadness that seemed to come from their past, 5 years ago when he was not known to the world as Doyoung.

“It’s strange to think that of all emotions that ignite from your threads, this one affects me least.” Doyoung said, mainly to himself rather than Donghyuck who turned to look at him. “I would’ve liked to share whatever ecstatic happiness that the members are experiencing on the tenth floor, but I think I’m simply not up to such emotions at the moment.”

Donghyuck raised his eyebrows, curious. “If I’m not mistaken, you bawled your eyes out just now.”

The statement made Doyoung let out a breathy laugh, gently punching Donghyuck’s arm. “It’s not that I’m not happy. It’s just a sentimental feeling of knowing that the dreams we dreamed has become reality. The fears we faced was worth the challenge.”  
  


A sharp emotion shot through Donghyuck’s web and Doyoung could see the ghost of a memory coming from him, the moment the Dream members were gathered in the middle of their dorm to hear what was a ‘sudden announcement’. A tsunami of disbelief and overwhelming happiness washed over him as the memory focused on the face of Mark Lee peeking through the doorway with his arms open.

“Hyung?”

Doyoung pulled himself out of the vision, blinking rapidly to remove the spots in his sight. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have seen that.”

“Seen…oh.”

Silence bloomed between them again as Doyoung pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his blanket over his shoulders. Perhaps if he reached out to the other threads, he would find Taeyong somewhere outside in a jacket two sizes too big for him, reminiscing his memories the way Doyoung was. It would bring him great comfort to bath in Taeyong’s memories, but that was his privacy.

As secluded as Doyoung tried to be, he would tend to slip up and see things he shouldn’t see.

“I remember the day that happened. It was…like I was dreading something bad the whole day. I’ve felt anxious before, but that day was awful. I couldn’t speak, didn’t dare too. Then suddenly, there was this earthquake inside here – “Doyoung pressed his palm to his chest. “When all of you found out that Mark was back. I was suffocating, and Johnny was holding me and shaking me, telling me to breathe.

But I didn’t care. I knew something amazing had happened, and what was a moment of breathlessness in comparison to that?”

It had Donghyuck silent, thinking back to the joy that had filled him to the core and stretched out past his fingertips and doused the whole dorm in warmth. “Happiness is a gift, hyung. I understand that, but happiness isn’t the only emotion you felt, right?”

Gently, Doyoung reached out to stroke Donghyuck’s blonde strands, attender smile on his face. It reminded Donghyuck of those moments when something went wrong and before anyone could react, Doyoung would be calling through the phone to ask what had happened.

“Joy is so much rarer than sadness, Hyuck. Sometimes, it would overwhelm me so badly that I wouldn’t function for the whole day until whoever was the source of that emotion was in my arms. As much as I hate feeling it, it’s what makes us human, and it’s what makes happiness all the more granting.”

Donghyuck shook his head, feeling tears gather at the corner of his eyes. Perhaps it was the way Doyoung could confidently say he understood someone, simply because he did. Perhaps it was the way Doyoung was so secretive about his own emotions and others because he felt each and every one of them to the fullest. Donghyuck couldn’t imagine what feeling two dozen emotions at the same time could feel like.

“Does it not hurt you? When the…unpleasant ones come forth?”

To that, Doyoung didn’t nodded. “Sometimes I wish to erase thoughts from one’s heads, or perhaps ask Taeyong to do as so. Negative emotions tend to drown out the rest, and I’d do anything for those who are feeling…the unpleasant emotion. Like when Han-”

Doyoung broke off, shaking his head and exhaling a sharp breath. “We shouldn’t be talking about those when it’s a night of joy, Hyuck. You should be celebrating. I think Mark’s awake and video calling his mom in his room. I believe she’d be delighted to see you.”

“But I don’t want to leave you, hyung” Donghyuck replied. “Not when I can muffle them for a while.”

“Actually, you can help me a different way.” Doyoung smiled, winking. “Go have fun with Mark. He tends to feel warm when you’re around. It’s quite pleasant to the soul.”

Donghyuck scoffed before standing up, looking away to hide his face. His thread vibrated in embarrassment, making Doyoung snicker. “Hyung, are you – “

“Don’t disappoint me now, kiddo. Go ahead.”

To that statement, Donghyuck made his way out with his hands over his face. Doyoung waited for a moment before turning to face the foot of his bed. “Taeyong, it’s not nice to eavesdrop.”

Taeyong materialized into view, a pout on his lips as he climbed into Doyoung’s bed. “I was here before him, you know? Besides, I didn’t want Jaehyun to barge in before I could have some quality time with you.”

“You’re a baby, TY”

“Likewise.”

Doyoung pulled apart his covers to let Taeyong snuggle close to him, tucking his fluffy hair under Doyoung’s chin as they leaned back. Doyoung could feel Taeyong’s gentle breaths against his collarbone, and he was reminded of the times he they would be in such a position during their SM Rookie days.

“Pity Jaehyun couldn’t be here,” Doyoung smiled as he twirled Taeyong’s hair around his finger. “He could have helped me sleep.”

Tayeong grunted.

“But you’re great company too, jelly bean”

“You don’t need a walking dreamcatcher to fall asleep, Doie.”

“I don’t want to be stepping into Johnny’s dreams in my sleep, Taeyong.”

At that revelation, Taeyong visibly cringed under the sheets, pulling them tighter over his shoulders. It was easier to step into Johnny’s dream rather than his own, since Johnny was a _very_ deep sleeper, yet he was able to rise early for gym.

“Who has the most strangest dreams?”

Doyoung pondered for a moment, grinning as a particular dream of marshmallow unicorns and lilac campfires filled his mind. It was difficult not to want to step into Jungwoo’s dreams, or even better, Lucas’s. They were possibly lucid dreamers, but Doyoung never thought of asking when they met.

“It’s hard to tell dreams apart” Doyoung said, not particularly lying. Usually the language gave it away, but with a group of multilinguals, he wouldn’t be surprised if Yuta’s dream was in Korean instead of Japanese. “But you know what’s better than a perfect dream?”

The door creaked open and a very flushed Johnny came inside, hugging his oversized bolster with cloud patterns. “A dream that becomes reality. Take a daesang for example.”

He chuckled as he pulled Doyoung –and Taeyong who squealed in Doyoung’s grip –down so they were laying on the mattress. The bed creaked suggestively as Johnny placed his weight on the bed and laid down too, able to cuddle both Doyoung and Taeyong –who was squeezed between them –in his arms.

“It’s getting a little hot in here” Taeyong groaned as he kicked out to push himself higher up in the bed to poke his head out form between the two men who were sandwiching him. “How did…oh wait, you darn telepath.”

“I am merely doing my job in the group” Johnny replied, pecking Taeyong’s forehead before wiggling around, making the bed creak _even more._ “It’s a sentimental day, and perhaps it’s time for a cuddle pile?”

“You’re going to break my bed” Doyoung sighed but remained where he was, cuddling Taeyong from the back as Johnny cuddled them both from the front. “The tenth floor is going to be jealous.”

“Not if they don’t know.”

Taeyong giggled, bowing his head shamefully as a shy blush crept up his cheeks. “John, you flirt.”

“Shhh, the baby is asleep.”

And indeed, Taeyong could feel the slow rise and fall of Doyoung’s chest against his back. Smiling, he twisted around so he was now facing Doyoung before reaching out to hug him and pull himself closer. Johnny, realizing this, shifted close to Taeyong so he could adjust his arms.

“Good night, daesang winner” Johnny whispered, making Taeyong vibrate with quiet laughter. “Sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams, Johnny”

**Author's Note:**

> A little warmth for our cold souls?  
> Hope you enjoyed it and do leave comments :) I love them


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